Compliance with the law imperative

I AM concerned about the view expressed by the MEC for Education in the Western Cape in her letter, “Don’t fix what ain’t broken”, November 15. In it she clearly expresses her dissatisfaction with the amendments introduced by the Basic Education Laws Amendment bill (Bela). This is worrying and could prevent her from enforcing the amendments once signed into law in the Western Cape, effectively rendering the amendments proposed by Bela futile.

Her remarks – “For heads of department to approve admission and language policies will be an administrative nightmare” – are worrying. Specifically in the Western Cape, thousands of learners have been denied admission to former model C schools during the last 20-odd years based on illegal admission policies.

Bela simply proposes a mechanism to ensure that the admission policies of all public schools comply with the laws of our country. Currently, such a mechanism is non-existent and former model C schools have been exploiting this loophole in order to maintain their apartheid-like admission policies. Turning to the MEC often did not lead to any success in admission. And the reason for the MEC’s reluctance to enforce the law could be based on her view that “parents are often more competent than officials in the education department”.

Can one conclude that the MEC does not support the amendments proposed in Bela? If true, then sadly it signals the death of the amendments before they have been signed into law. Its seems my worst fear will be realised, as I stated in my previous letter, “Hopes for a new era”.